


The Boy in the Tea Shop - Zuko x female reader

by StarENyte (orphan_account)



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Crying Zuko (Avatar), F/M, Hurt Zuko (Avatar), Jealous Zuko (Avatar), Protective Zuko (Avatar), Sick Zuko (Avatar), Smiling Zuko (Avatar)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2020-06-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:40:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24895555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/StarENyte
Summary: You started off homeless in Ba Sing Se, begging for money until Uncle Iroh (Mushi) and Zuko (Lee) found you on the streets, and Uncle Iroh decided to give you a job in The Jasmine Dragon.Through tea-making and (literally) spilling all the tea, you and Zuko begin to form a closer relationship, until Zuko wonders: What would happen if you found out he was in the fire nation?
Comments: 6
Kudos: 42





	The Boy in the Tea Shop - Zuko x female reader

For the record, all you wanted to say was this: being homeless was _not_ fun.

Sure, there were times when you were little that you wanted to leave the house. You tried to slam the door on your mom, who made you train because you couldn't waterbend and screech, "Good riddance, _buttholes_!"

Although you'd be grateful that you wouldn't be as annoying as the fat lady with her butt sticking out and her nose pointed high, you just wished you had a place to stay.

Four months. It had been four months since you were banished from the Southern Water Tribe, which was a memory you had tried to erase from your mind for days. You never liked to reminisce on that moment, not at all.

But now? Now, being homeless was the hardest thing that you've ever gone through.

"Excuse me?" You asked, eyeing a stranger who briskly walked past you. The woman who passed by always came around at four am, with her pants so big that you could see half her underwear, and her shirt so small that her big stomach seemed to bulge out.

"It's the fat lady!" You awed, then cupping your hands over your mouth when you realized you said it out loud. "Do you have any spare change-" you began as innocently as possible.

"Stay out of my way," the fat lady growled, smacking her bag in your face. You grumbled as you took a look in your metal disk that you used to pick up coins, empty, as always.

You saw another man pass by-- he was holding a long, wooden cane and wearing a pair of sunglasses.

"Do you have any spare change?" You asked, holding the disk out.

The man looked at you dead in the eye, only to shake his head and walk off.

You cursed under your breath and shivered. The sun wasn't even up yet, and the sky was still a deep shade of navy. There weren't many people walking around, but if there were, you'd probably have to leave before a bunch of other people started staring at you all weird.

You waved the disk up like a frisbee, closing your eyes and imagining yourself back in the Southern Water Tribe and playing games with all the other kids, but of course, that was nothing more than a fantasy world that you were living in.

Your hands traced along the scar you had since you were only four-- from the fire nation. The burn mark started just over your eyebrows, which coiled in a dark red line, which then inched its way down the very back of your neck.

You usually wore a mask or used a shield of hair to cover up the scar. It wasn't something you were very proud of-- as your mother always scolded, "scars are a way of ridiculing yourself. I cannot allow a member of my own family to have one."

You never liked to get deep into your backstory, so you pushed that fact away when you saw a teen boy walk towards your direction. He had blonde hair and freckles that went all over his face.

Eagerly, you outstretched your hand. "Do you have any spare change?"

The boy scoffed, rolled his eyes, and then crouched down in front of you. "Yeah," he said softly.

You looked expectantly as his hands rummaged into his pockets, only to come out empty as he slapped you across the face.

"Stay out of my way, freak!" he shouted as he kicked dust in your face and stomped away.

The slap hurt- it wasn't as bad as what you had gone through with your mom, but it certainly wasn't something that you were willing to reminisce on.

You traced your hand over where it stung most and winced.

... _That_ was going to leave a mark.

You checked the time by peeking through an old tea shop, which read, " **5:09 am.** "

You still had around three hours before you had to leave somewhere else, so you made the most of it and fell into a restless sleep.

\-------

You woke up to the feeling of someone shaking your shoulder-- the first time you felt it, you simply brushed it off, turned over, and went back to sleep.

Then when you felt it again, you simply took one of the dirty rugs you had and covered it over your face-- you assumed it was her mother, when you realized, "No, if my mother were waking me up she'd punch me in the face, and _then_ shake my shoulder," you theorized.

You opened your eyes to find a boy who looked around your age with jet black hair and golden eyes staring back at you.

Immediately, you got into a battle stance and launched backward, your hands rolled up in fists, and your feet pointed toward him. "Don't touch me," you hissed, brushing a lock of hair from your face.

But when you looked at what he was wearing, inspecting a green apron which read, "The Jasmine Dragon," and holding a tray consisting of all sorts of teacups, you stepped back, apologizing.

"Ah..." you shook your head, embarrassed as you hid your face in shame. "Sorry, I didn't know you were- uh... what time is it?"

The golden-eyed boy looked towards the clock, saying, "It's around 8 in the morning. We're going to be opening in an hour."

"Oh!" you shook your head. "S-sorry, I didn't mean-"

"Nephew, who is this?" the boy's uncle, you assumed, came out of nowhere- he had warm almond brown eyes with friendly wrinkles that traced around his face. He took one good look at you, and he gave you a warm smile.

You decided to like him immediately.

"Sorry for nearly punching your nephew-"

"Bah, he has no problem with that,"

"-my name's (Y/N)." You continued promptly.

"(Y/N). What a lovely name. I'm Ir- Mushi," Mushi, he was called, smiled. He pointed towards the direction of the boy you nearly punched. "That is my nephew, Zu- I mean, Lee. So, who are you?"

"Homeless," the boy- Lee, he was called, replied for you instantly. "I just told her to leave, Uncle."

But for him...?

You didn't like Lee too much-- and you didn't like being nicknamed, "homeless," even if it was true. It made you so angry that you felt sick to your stomach-- "homeless" wasn't what defined you.

"I'm sorry," you began, blinking your eyes furiously and packing up your things. "I'll leave, sorry about-"

"Lee!" Mushi scolded, his hands crossed punctually across his chest.

"What? Uncle, we need to get to work, we're opening-"

"In an hour," Mushi finished. "We have plenty of time."

The man's kindness he had was so beautiful that you nearly broke down-- not once had he called you homeless, nor had made fun of you. He didn't give you any looks of pity and instead talked to you like an average person-- not like a daughter who disgraced her entire family.

"(Y/N), how would you like to stay at our tea shop today?" Mushi offered. "We'd give you three square meals and a hot shower, how does that sound?"

Lee seemed to be against it, but before he could speak, you declined first. "Oh, no! I can't, you're too kind, sir. That would be too much to ask; it's alright-"

"Bah, you are too modest, (Y/N)! It would-" the old man persisted.

"Mr. Mushi. It's alright, I promise you. This is too much, and I'm perfectly fine right now!" But if you were honest, that was a lie. If anything, you needed someone to help you, and you needed help _now._

"It would be _my_ pleasure," he smiled.

"Certainly not mine," Lee grumbled.

Mushi whispered, "I am deeply sorry about my nephew. He has trouble controlling his temper,"

"I can tell," you laughed. "It's alright-"

But before you could say another word, the old man was dragging you right into the tea shop.

And little did you know, in those few minutes, your entire life would change.


End file.
